Counting Down...

Yes, more rambling about Wanted. Feel free to skip this if you're not interested.

I haven't been so excited about a movie since probably the LOTR trilogy.

The trailers look solid ( official website at this link, featuring a subtly different trailer ), and the stars are totally hot. ( James McAvoy developed pectorals all of a sudden, but I like him better scrawny. :))

Just rewatched The Last King Of Scotland the other night ( till 2am, as per my new habit heh ). It was excellent the first time I caught it 1-2 years ago, but this time, with my newfound appreciation of James McAvoy, it was unbelievable.

You can view some short clips from the film here. If you want to see McAvoy in emoting mode, go to the one titled I Have To Go Home Now. ( If the order gets mixed up - it's happening to me right now - look for the opening line from Forest Whitaker, which is "What is all this about your going home?". )

Granted, Whitaker is fantastic here, and completely deserving of his Oscar, but the story is told from Dr. Nicholas Garrigan's perspective, and McAvoy is present in every single scene. His transformation from a carefree young med school graduate to disillusioned personal physician / advisor is riveting. He matches Whitaker at every step, which is no mean feat considering the differences in height, physical appearance and personalities.

A Few More Reviews

A delayed one about The Darjeeling Limited, which I really REALLY love. Despite what the critics and box office say.

If you enjoy films like The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou ( those of you who've even heard of the latter deserve a pat on the back ), you will definitely want to catch Darjeeling.

I'll leave you to read the plot for yourself. It's a pretty short film ( 90 minutes or so ), but offers a hearty mix of comedy, tragedy, sex, love, death, drug-highs, Indian rituals, a funeral, and other assorted little goodies.

The main reason the whole formula works lies, of course, with its 3 stars - Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman. This marks the first time they're collaborating on the big screen, and the chemistry is explosive. They make you honestly believe they're blood relatives - it's amazing!

The clip titled The Whitman Brothers ( go to Multimedia ) gives a nice overview of the siblings' dynamics. My favourite is, hands down, Adrien Brody, who plays freaked-out father-to-be middle brother Peter to perfection. There're many clues to pick up on throughout the film - e.g. Owen's character, Francis, has a habit of ordering for his brothers and asking them to raise their hands if they want something; you'll find out why in the last 15 minutes, when they meet the person they've been desperately searching for.

The clip He Escaped is especially hilarious. You can't tell from the bit offered on this site, 'cos the buildup isn't included in its entirety, but in the movie itself, I laughed my guts out. :)

Digital cable recently screened a version of Pride & Prejudice which I've been longing to see for many years now - i.e. the one starring Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson. The result was rather... interesting.

Perhaps it stems from the fact that I last watched this when I was in junior college. I still remember many of the scenes word for word, but it intrigued me that I now prefer the updated Keira Knightley-Matthew MacFadyen remake much more. I can give the following reasons for this: (1) Knightley is feisty compared to the tremulous Garson ( who started to grate on my nerves after a while ), (2) the actors in the original are a little too old for their roles ( the characters are described as in their early to mid-20s in the novel ), (3) the remake is in vivid colour while the other is in black and white, (4) the women's costumes in the early version are quite hideous if you think about it, and (5) the script for the remake is a lot more faithful to the book ( though some scenes have been altered liberally ).

Last but not least, there's Pushing Daisies, a TV show I've been dying ( pardon the pun ) to see since reading rave reviews about it on the Internet. The pilot episode was so insanely bizarre I was utterly bewitched. The leads, Lee Pace and Anna Friel, are adorable together, and Chi McBride expertly provides the realism such a whimsical tale needs.

I find Lee Pace very cute, by the way. Tall, lanky, awkwardly handsome, and wonderfully lovable in this complex role.

SingFest 2008

I'm going for one reason only - Jason Mraz on Day 2.

Thank you, aliendoc, for the tip! Would've missed this tidbit for sure if you hadn't told me.

Some Privacy Desired

Have been ignoring my other blog for a while now, but there's no better time to jumpstart it again, to pen some of my frustrations away from the prying eyes of my usual readers.

Sorry, I need this one just for myself.